IMPURITIES  AND  ADULTERATIONS. 
101 
Buchu  may  be  occasionally  found  in  commerce  mixed  with 
green  portions  of  the  stem,  the  flowers,  and  sometimes  capsules 
of  the  Barosma.  A  bale  of  the  short-leaved  variety  which  I 
prefer  for  pharmaceutical  preparations  owing  to  the  larger 
amount  of  volatile  oil  it  contains,  was  found  mixed  with  about 
five  per  cent,  of  the  ripe  capsules  and  seeds,  but  was  free  from 
stems  and  flowers ;  the  capsules  are  nearly  inodorous  but  have 
a  hot  aromatic  taste  ;  the  seeds  have  but  a  very  slight  taste  of 
buchu  and  are  odorless.  At  another  time,  a  bale  of  the  medium 
sized  leaves  were  found  to  contain  in  the  centre  some  large 
stones  weighing  about  ten  pounds. 
Simple  Cerate.  A  large  lot  of  simple  cerate  which  had  been 
furnished  to  one  of  the  medical  purveying  depots  previous  to  the 
establishment  of  the  laboratory,  had  turned  rancid  in  a  short 
time.  On  examining  it,  I  found  it  to  be  of  a  uniform  texture, 
apparently  of  nearly  the  proper  consistence,  but  becoming 
readily  soft  by  the  warmth  of  the  hand  :  it  had  a  somewhat 
diaphanous  appearance  and  dissolved  readily  and  completely  in 
ether  at  the  ordinary  temperature.  It  was  made  from  lard  and 
Japan  wax,  which  latter,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  a  true  fat 
consisting  chiefly  of  palmitin,  and  consequently  soluble  in  cold 
ether,  while  the  same  solvent  takes  up  but  traces  from  true  bees- 
wax. 
Lard,  In  this  connection  I  may  mention  our  experience 
with  lard,  which  was  procured  from  a  large  manufacturer  in 
this  city.  In  the  preparation  on  a  large  scale  of  the  officinal 
Ceratum  Adipis  there  was  repeatedly  obtained  water  amounting 
to  from  12  to  15  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  lard  employed. 
On  remonstrating  with  the  manufacturer,  he  freely  acknowl- 
edged that  he  added  one-eighth  of  water  to  render  the  lard 
white.  I  had  on  former  occasions  become  acquainted  with  this 
practice ;  the  water  is  kept  in  intimate  mixture  with  the  fat  by 
the  addition  of  a  little  carbonate  of  potassa  or  borax.  But 
ever  since  that  time  we  have  had  no  difficulty  in  procuring  ex- 
cellent lard  free  from  all  water. 
Copaiva.  A  small  sample  of  copaiva  was  sent  to  the  labora- 
tory for  examination.  It  was  of  about  the  consistence  of  olive 
oil,  turbid  in  appearance  and  possessed  an  odor  distinctly  tere- 
binthinate  beside  the  copaiva.    Treated  with  eight  parts  of  95 
